Each year, ballots are sent to all living members of the Hall of Fame,
respected key figures from the business that have made significant
contributions to the business, and revered historians and writers knowledgeable
of the rich history that professional wrestling has had in the state of
Georgia, inviting them to assist in selecting those who they feel are worthy of
such an honor.

We are honored to be able to work with them in preserving the history of
wrestling in our great state, and we are proud to announce the results of the
newest class on this, our eleventh anniversary.

Buddy Fuller

Buddy Fuller became a major player in Georgia when he
bought Don McIntyre’s shares in the Atlanta office in 1964, much to the dismay
of Ray Gunkel. Although they would go on to form what the fans saw as a top
babyface tag team throughout the rest of the decade and into the 1970s, the two
men were not the best of friends behind the scenes, with both said to have been
in a constant power struggle.

Fuller had classic feuds with Mario Galento,
Louie Tillet, and referee Leo Garibaldi, and was a frequent holder of the Southern
and Georgia Heavyweight Titles. He also had a share of the World Tag Team
Title, as recognized by the promotion, with Ray Gunkel, as well as the Georgia
Tag Team Title, as they feuded with top heel teams that passed through the
territory, including the Assassins and the Vachons.

Fuller renovated a barn on
his property in Griffin that would become a staple wrestling venue, opening in 1970
and being used into the 1980s known as the Griffin-Barnesville Sports Palace.
Fuller sold his shares in the office in 1972 to his brother, Lester Welch, only
a few months prior to Gunkel’s unexpected death.

One of Fuller’s final
appearances was on the NWA card the night Ann Gunkel promoted her first card
under the ASWA banner in November 1972, a situation borne from the power plays
that were being attempted behind the scenes, mostly by those affiliated with
Fuller’s family.

Joe Scarpa

Georgia fans had their first opportunity to see Joe
Scarpa when he and Don Curtis began making appearances in 1962 being billed as
World Tag Team Champions, feuding with Pedro Godoy and the Russian Crusher.

Upon returning in 1963, he teamed with top babyfaces like Ray Gunkel, Choo-Choo
Lynn, Eddie Graham, and Chief Little Eagle in feuds with teams such as the Von
Brauners, Lenny Montana & Tarzan Tyler, and the Assassins. Scarpa also
briefly wore a mask in Georgia, wrestling as the Proud Rebel, before
voluntarily removing it prior to a match with the Von Brauners.

Over the years,
Scarpa became a mainstay in singles action, feuding with Stan Stasiak, the
Mighty Hercules, George Harris, and Mario Galento. He returned in 1969 and won
the Georgia Heavyweight Title, becoming a frequent challenger for the NWA World
Heavyweight Title, feuding with Paul DeMarco and Nick Bockwinkel.

As popular as
Scarpa was, it was his transformation in becoming an Indian chief named Jay
Strongbow that endeared him to a new generation of fans in the 1970s, feuding
with Brute Bernard and Ernie Ladd, including a memorable angle where Ladd
destroyed his headdress, which was promptly replaced by a new one presented by
a group of children in 1980.

Roberto Soto

It was 1969 when a young tag team consisting of Roberto
Soto and Cyclone Soto burst onto the wrestling scene in Georgia and became
regular opponents of heel teams such as Chati Yokuchi & Mr. Ito, Los Toros,
the Assassins, and the Super Assassins. A fan base that had fallen in love with
the Torres brothers now had a new popular Hispanic duo to rally behind, and the
Sotos didn’t disappoint.

After a run of about a year, the two left the state,
but Roberto returned in 1971 and proved to be a solid mid-card talent in
singles competition, as well as tag teams, often sharing a corner with men like
Jerry Oates, Bob Armstrong, Bill Dromo, and Dick Steinborn.

The following year
he became embroiled in a feud with Billy Spears and also won the Georgia
Heavyweight Championship, a title he held for several months and took to the
ASWA, where he maintained recognition.

After dropping that title, a few months
later he was back with the NWA group in Atlanta, often teaming with Robert
Fuller, Mr. Wrestling #2, Tom Jones, and Bob Orton, Jr., and continuing his
feud with Spears, and getting into a new one with Jerry Lawler and the Garvins.
Following a successful run in the mid-1970s, he returned briefly in the early
1980s, but only found minimal opportunities.

Les Thatcher

Les Thatcher wrestled briefly in Georgia during the
1960s, often teaming with Roger Kirby, but he would prove to be more important
in Georgia through other avenues.

He joined the Georgia Championship Wrestling TV program produced out of Atlanta
as a color analyst, working alongside Gordon Solie, who was still relatively
new to the audience in the summer of 1973. While many may argue that Solie
needed no assistance, anyone who was lucky enough to hear them together knows
how lucky they were. Thatcher’s vast knowledge of in-ring experience lent a
perspective to that which Solie could only offer a limited view. The pairing
only lasted through January 1974, but it left a lasting impression on the
viewing audience.

Thatcher was also handling the task of putting together the
programs for the Atlanta office, which had been minimal at best before he took
it over, and they became must-read material, which increased that revenue
stream for the company. Although he left the company, he continued to handle
the production of the programs for several months after leaving.

He would later
return to the promotion in the 1980s, handling business on the promotional end
as a road agent for the northern tours as the company expanded beyond the
Georgia borders, and also announced for the short-lived GCW Superstars TV program out of Chattanooga in 1983. In more
recent years, Thatcher has returned to the state numerous times to assist
smaller promotions in a consultative nature, training wrestlers and production
teams, and has also participated in the GWH Radio Network podcasts.

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